Priorities, eh? Nigel Farage isn’t doing much to quell the accusations that he spends very little time in his constituency, after once again racking up the air miles to ditch the locals and instead, spend a few days at Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida.
What is the Chagos Islands deal controversy?
The Reform leader says he has made the journey – some 4,500 miles away from Clacton – in order to convince President Trump to comprehensively pull the plug on the UK’s deal with the Chagos Islands. He has, arguably, been the loudest of the right-leaning voices opposed to this agreement.
The UK signed a £3.4 billion deal to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. However, the deal is facing significant opposition in the House of Lords and America. The UK still leases the largest island, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base there.
Nigel Farage jets off again – now he’s at Mar-A-Lago
In a political stunt, Farage attempted to enter the Chagos Islands via boat last month. However, he was denied access to the territory – something which shouldn’t have come as a surprise, given that heavy restrictions are in place for visitors, and almost all require a permit to set foot on the land.
Details of the 61-year-old’s itinerary have not been made public – and it’s not clear if he will even get a face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump. But if Nigel Farage fails where Liz Truss recently succeeded, he is likely to get his message through to senior members of the president’s team.
Labour, Lib Dems rip into ‘unpatriotic’ Nigel Farage
Needless to say, this latest round of jet-setting has caused some murmurs of discontent. Labour MP Calvin Bailey has accused Nigel Farage of ‘lobbying against UK interests’ this weekend, questioning his sense of patriotism in the process.
“We are talking about our collective national security. The person who is always against these things is Nigel Farage. He will be lobbying against our national interest while he is at Mar-A-Lago, talking down the deals we have made, and it is is deeply unpatriotic.” | Calvin Bailey
Always sharp with the soundbites, Ed Davey weighed in with his take on the matter. The Liberal Democrat leader blasted Mr. Farage for ‘sucking up’ to Donald Trump, and reminded the electorate that the ongoing war with Iran is likely to have terrible consequences here in the UK.
“I see that Nigel Farage is off to Mar-a-Lago to talk down the United Kingdom and suck up to Donald Trump. There’s nothing patriotic about cheering on a foreign leader whose illegal war is sending British families’ energy bills through the roof.” | Ed Davey